paterwdb

Has there been a definitive change that airports no longer have two lane boarding? Meaning the Sky Priority lane/General Member Lane?
If I'm not worried about overhead bin space, I often delay my arrival at the gate, and always liked being able to board through the SP (breezeway) lane. It seems that they are gone from ATL. My home airport still has them, but the gate agents tend not to use them.

I don't know if this was a crazy covid thing or if they just ditched the idea. Anything official?

xliioper

Already been discussed. Seems hit and miss at many airports (mostly miss) -- No more Sky Priority boarding lane?

They generally still have the two lanes and signage from what I've seen, but often only have one open for boarding.

aacar

This article seems to indicate that the Sky Priority boarding lanes will be returning - "we've started bringing back our Sky Priority boarding lanes, which we know our SkyMiles Members have missed."

Goodoldflyer

They sometimes have more than one lane, but are used interchangeably for anyone who happens to be boarding.

Boarding priority is not a priority.

paterwdb

So I had put in the complaint/compliment form on 18 February, asking if the "enhancement" was still policy, was temporarily suspended, or was being phased out.
Today I received a *call* from a customer service rep, who called and expressed that he was concerned that it hadn't been enforced. He had gone through my last three flights to see what airports, and asked specifically if I could remember which airports had no separation of lanes, had separation but didn't use it, or had it and used it. He was mumbling gate numbers as I told him, and taking notes.
I asked "was there a policy change, because it seems like, at least in Atlanta, the divider is completely gone, so it must be on purpose"? He said, "no, no policy change that I can see anywhere, and the GA should set up the gate according to our policy and use the process. While we weren't doing that when we were boarding only by seat row, we are now back to zoned boarding and this is something we are going to have to address system wide. He said he was going to look into this some more, going so far as to say "I'm sending a red coat to look at the gates from which you departed and see if they have a lane divider and signage and get to the bottom of this."
Wow.

cubeman

8 segments in 2022, It's literally a 50/50 shot if both are open to line up in but these lanes don't mean anything when you have people boarding in Main 2 or 3 hoarding over them blocking people from boarding properly. Nothing Delta can do really to fix that. I remember one flight last year the gate agent was being super involved forming lines for D1/Diamond then Priority/C+ etc.

I can count the times where I wait for FC or C+ to be called and by the time I get out of my chair and over and work my way through the crowd she's calling the next group because no one can get through the main cabin hovering over the entrances.

RRROOO

I like Delta in general...but Delta in Atlanta is awful. Most gate agents have an attitude and will lie to your face just to get you out of the way. I could not get my app to open and was freaking out because I had no other way to board the plane (I've since learned to print my boarding pass as a back up) . The rude Delta Agent in ATL told me to look at the board to see if my seat changed. The board he was referring to , is for those who are on waitlist for an upgrade. I knew he was lying, but also knew better to confront him about it.
Not my first time with a lying agent in Atlanta, and I'm sure it won't be my last.

dcadwell

Whenever I check in on the app (or, get automatically checked in) always take a screenshot of the boarding pass in the event there are issues with it loading at the SC/gate.

jamesteroh

Or add it to your apple wallet if you have an Iphone

ijgordon

I seem to remember a couple of years ago there were "pillars" at the gate for the different boarding groups, so the gate lice would line up at each pillar which made it much easier to get with your group. Presumably the pillars for the groups entitled to the priority lane were on one side and the general line was on another, but I don't recall that level of specificity.

dcadwell

An option for those that do!

DCAhome

I miss those. It added a bit of (much needed) order to the boarding scrum.

coke cans and winglets

They were greatly appreciated by me especially for those elite heavy flights ex-ATL where First/Diamond, COMF+, and SKY are just a cluster like right now. Also would've been helpful at SEA on Halloween 2020, boarding a "full" (middle seats blocked) A330 red eye to ATL and the gate lice was ridiculous, I was in First and was behind all of the gate lice. They actually call up First/Diamond and I kid you not NONE of those people crowding the gate were First, it was very gratifying watching all of them get mowed down by everyone who was actually in First though!

findark

I can't say I have ever seen an orderly boarding process for a Delta flight. Indeed, with nowhere to specifically stand, some 30% of the pax will loosely cluster in the gate area, often blocking the concourse. Most of them probably aren't in F but it seems rude to try to push your way through before boarding is called. So instead, one arrives at the gate and simply adds to the mess for a minute or two before the (inevitably slightly late) start of boarding.

Goodoldflyer

I'm pretty sure people just like to stand in line, or in a cluster.

My preference is to be as far away as possible right up until boarding.

Half the time, I can't hear the announcements. I like when the boarding is clearly on the video screen.